Light-controllable azobenzene materials have a remarkable potential for micro- and nanotechnologies as patterning templates, sensors, micropumps and actuators. The photoisomerization between trans and cis states of azo-chromophores is the primary source of photodeformation in azo-polymers. The direction of deformation can be controlled by the light polarization. In our analytical and computer simulation studies, description of the light-induced anisotropy is simplified by applying effective orientation potential to the trans isomers orienting them perpendicular to the light polarization. Using coarse-grained modelling we proved that effective potential approximates well the reorientation of trans isomers under linearly polarized light. The proposed orientation approach is quite promising. It allows not only the explanation of the sign and magnitude of photodeformation in azo-polymers with diverse chemical architecture and topology, but also the prediction of new effects, such as appearance of biaxial deformation in liquid crystal (LC) azo-polymers. A rich behavior is predicted for two-component polymer networks containing azobenzenes and non-chromophoric LC mesogens. Whether such two-component network expands or contracts with respect to the light polarization, depends on the art of attachment of the mesogens to the network strands.